Chapter Eight
The rain falling on the metal roof was enough to have Jax wishing he’d just headed home. Instead, he sat in his office, looking over finances while Piper slept on the old, worn brown sofa. He kept a sleeping bag here for her because the couch wasn’t the softest fabric and he wasn’t investing money to upgrade it.
His sweet girl lay curled up, her blond hair sliding out of her pigtails. The bibs she wore were too large for her tiny frame, but she always insisted on wearing them.
Those bibs were a constant reminder of who truly had the power here. They’d hung on the back of this office door for years and Piper always loved playing dress-up with them, because dress-up to her wasn’t becoming a princess.
She wanted to be a plane mechanic and pilot like her daddy, and he couldn’t fault her one bit. He loved his job, loved when he’d been in the air force, but enjoyed the place he was at now in his life.
This airport was so much more than a means to pay bills. This place had been here when he’d needed somewhere to go. When he’d had few options and no time to go on the hunt, Paul had taken him back in an instant.
The click of the hangar door caught his attention. It was after eight, closing in on nine, so who would be here? Glancing at Piper, he saw she was still fast asleep. Jax slipped out of his office and gently pulled the door behind him before turning to see who had popped in. Shouldn’t have been another pilot, not with the weather taking on a nasty turn this evening.
Pilots were constantly watching the weather whether they were taking off or not. It was just something ingrained in them and Jax didn’t even think anything of it anymore. Georgia was especially tricky in the spring. The pop-up storms were too common to be careless.
Jax rounded the corner from his office to the main area, which might be considered a lobby, and came to stop when he saw Livie squeezing the water from her hair. Part of him wanted to laugh at her water-logged appearance, but the other part of him, the completely male part, was too busy taking in the way her clothing had molded to her body.
The black legging capris and plain red tank showed off the fact that she didn’t just sit behind a desk and push papers all day. This woman was in shape and had curves in all the right places . . . places his hands itched to touch.
Damn it. He’d wanted that kiss to be some one-time event when it came to his hormones. Unfortunately, one look at her, frazzled as she may have been, and he was confident there were going to be more kisses, more touching. He couldn’t wait.
Livie looked up and jerked back. “Oh, I didn’t see you standing there.”
She flung her damp hair back over her shoulder and attempted to swipe the moisture from her clothes. Jax crossed the space between them, never taking his eyes off her. Somewhere between her demanding he sell and their plane ride, he’d gone from loathing to wanting. It had been a damn long time since he’d felt an attraction this strong, but how could he ever trust that gut instinct again? He’d thought Carly was the one for him and she left him with a two-week-old baby. Clearly, where women were concerned, he wasn’t the best judge of character.
“What are you doing here?” he asked.
She glanced around the open hangar, then back to him. “I was just out for a walk and ended up here.”
Stunned, he took a step closer until there was little space between them. “You walked five miles?”
“I guess so.” She shrugged. “I was cleaning out my house and needed air. I didn’t have intentions when I left.”
“Yet here you are.”
Her eyes held his as she nodded. There was no way she could’ve known he’d be here. He never knew when he’d be late either. He’d actually had a flight for this evening, but had to reschedule it due to the unsteady weather system.
“Did you need to see me or just come here to think things through?” he asked.
A droplet of water slid down her neck, disappearing into that scoop of her tank. His body tightened, stirred, as he brought his gaze back up to hers. The woman was torturing him on every possible level and he was human . . . at some point he was going to crack.
“Both,” she murmured.
“Piper is asleep in the office. We can talk out here or go out to the bench under the awning.”
“Let’s go outside,” she told him. “I’ve always loved a good storm.”
He remembered Paul saying that about her. She’d sit on their back porch and watch a storm for hours until they made her come inside.
Jax wasn’t too concerned about Piper waking. She was such a sound sleeper, but he propped the door open to the outside, so he’d be able to hear her if she called for him.
The rain came down steadily, bringing with it a scent he only associated with storms. There was something so relaxing and calming about a good hard rain, the rumble of thunder, and the flash of lightning.
But Jax wasn’t too relaxed or calm right now. He was too keyed up with Livie showing up unexpectedly. Something was on her mind, but he had no clue as to what. Something had brought her here and he only hoped she’d had some grand epiphany and decided against selling his life out from under him.
Jax took a seat next to her on the bench and leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. He stared down to his hands dangling between his legs and figured she’d start talking soon. He was content to wait her out.
He was rather intrigued she’d opted to come to him, especially considering how they’d left things.
“Why did you kiss me the other night?”
Okay, definitely not what he thought she’d lead with, but a topic he didn’t mind answering honestly.
“Because I wanted to.”
Hadn’t he warned her he got what he wanted? Livie was no exception. He’d wanted her since he was thirteen years old . . . granted those wants turned from a crush to a full-blown aching need only a man can fully appreciate.
“You don’t like me,” she argued.
“I never said I didn’t like you. I don’t like the reason you’re here.”
Olivia folded her arms over her chest and leaned back against the bench. Jax threw a look over his shoulder, but Livie was lost in thought as she stared at the rain dripping from the overhead gutter.
“Are you happy here?” she asked, finally searching his face. “I mean, if Piper wasn’t in your life, if you were just a bachelor—”
“She is part of my life,” he stated. “I never think about her not being here. She’s the best thing that’s ever happened.”
“I didn’t mean it like that,” she corrected. “I just want to know are you doing what you love? I know you want to fly, but here? Why not for some major airline where you can travel the globe?”
Jax laughed and leaned back beside her, his shoulder brushing hers. “You still don’t get it. This place is my life. It’s everything to me. Going somewhere else doesn’t even cross my mind, so yes, I’m happy.”
Livie nodded as she chewed on her bottom lip. Something was racing through that mind of hers. She clearly had an issue she was sorting out and he figured it was more than just how to sell this piece of her past. It was clear she was battling herself and he didn’t want to intrude. Besides, sitting here listening to the rain with a beautiful woman wasn’t a bad way to spend the evening.
“Jade came up with an idea and part of me wants to run fast and far, but the other part makes me wonder if this is the answer we’d been looking for.”
Actually, he hadn’t been looking for an answer considering he had no intention of selling, but her words intrigued him.
“What did she say?”
“For us to renovate the airport and cater to a higher class of clientele.” Just as he opened his mouth to argue his clientele was just fine, she held up a hand. “Wait. Nobody would take away what you’ve already got here. But, with the film industry in this state, why not tap into that?”
Why not? He could think of several reasons.
“Money, time,” he murmured. “The legal side of upgrading the airport would be costly on top of the actual renovations. We’d need more hangars, employees who would want to be paid. There are so many cons, I can’t even get to the pro side of the list.”
“That’s why we need to talk,” she retorted. “I’m not saying I’m one hundred percent on board with this plan, either, but it’s worth discussing.”
Scenarios ran through his head. What did he know about high-profile clients? No doubt they’d have their own private planes and this airport was only set up for a certain size to land. There were just so many negatives and the idea had only been in his mind for all of two minutes.
“We’d have to work together to see this through,” she began.
Jax flashed a smile. “I wouldn’t mind some one-on-one time.”
“You’ve got to be kidding.” Livie’s brows rose. “You think we’re just going to pick back up from that kiss? I’m trying to have a serious conversation here.”
With a shrug, Jax turned back to watch the rain puddle in on the uneven sidewalk. “One has nothing to do with the other. I’m attracted to you, you’re attracted to me. The airport doesn’t affect my emotions.”
Livie came to her feet, hands on her hips as she stared down at him. “Are you always this direct?”
“I’m not going to dance around the topic, Livie. Whether you want to admit it or not, there’s an attraction. Whatever business you want to conduct is a whole other issue.”
She continued to stare at him, her eyes wide, her hair hanging in damp ringlets. Livie Daniels had a feisty side, but she was also easy to read. She was afraid of this tension between them. She wanted to focus on why she came to Haven to begin with, but here she was thrust into an unwanted attraction just the same as he was.
“Listen, I’m not thrilled about this either,” he went on. “I was getting along just fine before you came into town. I have a daughter who is my number-one priority. I haven’t dated since her mother left because I’ve been too busy. But here you are making me want and damn it, I’m not ready for that.”
“You think I like this?” she demanded, throwing her arms wide. “I have more important things to do than argue with you about this place or that kiss.”
Jax came to his feet, standing directly in front of her. He leaned over until she stepped back. He snaked an arm around her waist and hauled her flush against his body. Mists of rain hit them, droplets landing on her smooth skin.
“You think my life isn’t important? That I’m not filled with things I’d rather be doing than constantly replaying how your lips felt against mine?”
Her hands went to his chest, but instead of pushing him away, she curled her fingers and gripped his shirt. “You haven’t—”
He tightened his hold. “I have. I’ve thought of you, of us. You think all those years ago I wasn’t infatuated with you? I’d see you strut in, totally ignore me, and waltz out like the princess of the palace.”
Damn it. He didn’t want to just expose every single thought he’d had about her. She made him forget every pep talk he’d given himself and she totally tore through the red flags waving around in his mind.
“If you want to work together, then by all means, let’s work.” He nipped at her jawline, pleased when her head tipped back. “But I’ll give you this one and only warning—I want you and I intend to have you.”
When her eyes widened, then darted to his lips, it took every single ounce of willpower for him to pull back and release her. His body protested at the loss of her touch. But he wanted her to be just as aching, just as frustrated as he was. Only then would he get to see the real side of Livie, the side he’d wanted to expose since she stepped foot into that hangar wearing her proper suit.
“If we’re going to really dig into this idea, we can’t be . . .”
She waved her hand between them. Amused, Jax reached out and wiped a damp tendril from her forehead.
“Can’t be what?”
Her eyes narrowed. “You know,” she said, swatting at him. “Stop touching me.”
“You just arched your body against mine and moaned. Now you’re choosing to say no?”
“I didn’t arch or moan,” she argued. “Maybe we should have chaperones when we discuss renovating.”
Jax couldn’t stop the laugh from slipping out. “You think someone in the room will stop me from doing what I want? You don’t know me very well.”
“I don’t know you at all,” she all but shouted over the pounding rain. “I know you worked for my father, now you’re a single dad, and you make me—”
“What?” he asked, more intrigued than ever.
She let out the most unladylike growl. “Forget it.”
Jax wasn’t sure if she was talking to him or herself, so he merely shrugged. “I’ll drive you home. Let me pull my truck into the hangar and put Piper in.”
Livie opened her mouth, then closed it.
“What?” he asked. “You want to argue about that, too? You don’t honestly think I’d let you walk home in this rain, do you? Besides, it’s pitch-black out. I’m a Southern gentleman, Livie. I’ll make sure you’re properly taken care of.”
Her swift intake of breath was all he needed to know he’d hit his mark with that last line. He wasn’t messing around. She may have thought this talk of attraction was done, but he’d barely gotten started.
Suddenly, Livie’s eyes widened as she peered over his shoulder. Jax turned, catching sight of Piper standing in the doorway with her lopsided ponytails. She rubbed her eyes and yawned.
“Hey, sweetheart.” Jax crossed the cracked concrete and lifted his sleepy girl into his arms. “You ready to head home and get tucked into bed?”
“You promised to read the Amelia Earhart book tonight,” she whined as she lay her head on his shoulder.
“I did, but I didn’t know we’d be here so late.”
The kid couldn’t remember the daily ritual of brushing her teeth, but she sure as hell wasn’t about to forget a promise he made last minute as she hopped out of his truck for school this morning.
“Daddy.” She wrapped her little arms around his neck. “You can’t break your promise. That’s what you always tell me.”
Sometimes he really felt he was nailing this parenting thing, and other times he realized his guidance came back to bite him in the butt.
Jax glanced to Livie, who still hadn’t moved, hadn’t taken her eyes off Piper. And then it hit him. The bibs.
“They’ve been on the back of the office door since you left,” he reminded her. “She’s just started wearing them recently. They’re a little big, but . . .”
He truly had no idea how to approach this, and from the look on Livie’s face, she didn’t either.
“If you’d rather she not—”
“No, it’s fine.” Livie blinked, as if she were pulling herself from some trance. “I forgot about them until you mentioned them the other day, but I hadn’t seen them yet. I’m just surprised, that’s all.”
“Are you having another date?” Piper mumbled.
Jax shot Livie a wink. “Not tonight,” he said, patting Piper’s back. “Livie needs a ride home, though. Can you stand here with her and I’ll go get my truck so you two don’t get so wet?”
She nodded against the side of his neck, her wild hair tickling his jaw. He sat her down, but Piper immediately went over to Livie and extended her arms. Livie froze, not enough for Piper to notice, but Jax was pretty in tune with Livie. She didn’t want to get too wrapped up in this place, with him or his daughter.
“Be right back.”
Jax didn’t offer any reason to Piper why Livie wasn’t picking her up, and as he walked back in to get his keys and shut off lights, he threw a glance over his shoulder. Piper was firmly resting in Livie’s arms. In that second, something tripped inside his chest and he had no way to even describe the emotion.
Turning from the scene behind him, Jax couldn’t let any of this get too personal. No matter how strong the pull of attraction was toward Livie, he had to keep reminding himself of how Carly had also tugged him into her life only to stomp on his heart and walk out without a regret.
Jax turned off the lights, set the alarm, and headed to get his truck. He wasn’t looking for a relationship. A little flirting, kissing . . . whatever else may arise was fine, so long as commitment stayed out of the equation. If they had a business deal, fine, so long as they both agreed to it. But anything deeper, forging a stronger bond, was out of the question. After all, he not only had his own heart to protect, he also had to look out for his daughter.
* * *
Seeing those bibs had been like a slap to the face from reality. She’d worn those every day when she’d go to the airport to work with her dad during summer breaks and after school. They’d been big and baggy at first, then she’d grown into them. By the time they were getting too small, Olivia didn’t want to wear them anymore.
But they held a special place in her memory bank, she couldn’t deny that fact. Seeing Piper in her messy ponytails and the baggy bibs with cuffed hems churned something in Olivia. Those nostalgic memories were starting to consume her. With each passing day, she questioned whether she was making the right decisions. There simply was no good answer and no one to tell her how the future would play out.
“Olivia, did you hear me?”
She gripped the phone and stared down at her blank paper. The pen lay to the side untouched.
“I’m sorry, what?” she asked.
Since Jax had brought her home last night she’d had a difficult time concentrating. Thankfully, Melanie and Jade had been out on the back porch and didn’t know Jax had driven her home—she’d never hear the end of it if they knew.
Now she was trying to concentrate on work, but she just didn’t have the heart. What was happening to her?
“I said, rumor has it the decision for COO will be made as soon as next week,” her assistant whispered.
Olivia could always count on her assistant to keep her updated on the current rumor mill. Nerves and anticipation spiraled through her. She could practically taste the victory.
“I should be getting an acceptance from the VanKirk Agency today,” Olivia said. “I e-mailed the plans to them, great job working on that, by the way.”
“You did most of the work, I just drew up the actual proposal.”
Olivia picked up the pen and started to draw. “We make a great team. I’m sure they’ll love what we came up with and once I land that account, there’s no way I’ll be denied the promotion. We’ve been trying to get the attention of Patrick VanKirk for years.”
Yes, the victory was going to be so sweet. Considering her opponent thought she was incompetent because she was a woman, that was all the fuel she needed to work her ass off toward this promotion. What did boobs and lack of a penis have to do with her job anyway?
“I’ll be sure to let you know as soon as I hear from them,” Olivia said as she slid her pen over the paper. “They wanted things wrapped up by the weekend, so I should be getting word anytime.”
“When are you coming back?”
Olivia sighed and continued doodling. That was the proverbial million-dollar question, wasn’t it? She truly had no clue. Especially now with this brainstorm of Jade’s, Olivia had no idea what the future held. All she knew was she needed to be in the office for the announcement of her promotion.
“Soon.” There, that sounded like she knew what was going on, right? “Text, e-mail, or call anytime. I still have a few things to get done here and I’ll be back as soon as I can. Believe me, I miss you all.”
Although, over the last couple days she hadn’t thought so much about work. Her mind had been preoccupied with one very sexy, very charming pilot who constantly caught her off guard with his touch. And he did have that whole gentlemanly thing going. Why couldn’t he be rude or ugly? Yeah, ugly would really help.
No, he had those broad shoulders, dark hair, tanned skin, striking eyes. He was the perfect poster boy for small-town hunk. The fact he was a caring single father was so charming and sweet, she wanted to find something that turned her off . . . but she kept drawing a blank.
“Have I lost you again?” her assistant asked.
Olivia closed her eyes and sighed. “Sorry. I’m just overwhelmed at the moment.”
More like daydreaming about a man who was driving her out of her mind and keeping her awake at night. Not to mention the adorable toddler who had pretty much stolen her heart.
“It’s okay,” she replied. “Just don’t get too wrapped up in that town and forget to come back to us.”
Olivia laughed. “That would never happen.”
But as she glanced down to the paper, she stilled. She’d drawn her Cessna. No, not her Cessna. Jax’s Cessna. That was his plane now; she had no ties to it. Well, legally she did, but it wasn’t the plane she wanted.
What did she want, though? Because she thought she knew, but now she wasn’t so sure. She still wanted the coveted promotion; she’d worked too hard to just walk away. But part of her wanted that airport to be everything Jade suggested. Was it even possible to have both?
Olivia disconnected the call and sat her cell on the desk in the formal living room. Jade and Melanie had gone out for a run. They’d begged Olivia to join them, but she knew she had too much work to catch up on this morning. She needed to run, though. It was the only thing that kept her sane and cleared her thoughts. Nothing was as therapeutic as getting fresh air, working up a sweat, and pounding the pavement.
Getting in a good workout with her friends sounded ideal, but she wasn’t so sure she’d be good company.
Olivia leaned back in the creaky old leather chair and stared at the plane. Melanie had said to look for signs, something Olivia didn’t necessarily believe in, but if she did, was this a sign? Was Piper wearing Olivia’s old bibs a sign?
What exactly constituted a sign? Because Olivia would seriously love some help right about now.
Olivia couldn’t help but think about how sweet little sleepy Piper felt in her arms. The way she just relaxed and gave in to the state of exhaustion. Olivia couldn’t recall the last time she was ever relaxed or even leaned on someone with such trust and abandon.
Maybe as a child. Perhaps when her mind was still filled with puppy dogs and rainbows. Before her parents split she was definitely a different person. Once she graduated and she and her mother moved to Atlanta, Olivia started to gain some of her happiness back. College was a great escape and fresh start, especially with her best friend at her side.
She and Jade had been through it all together. Then they’d met Melanie a few years ago and carried her into their happy circle. Olivia guessed she had them to lean on. She knew she could always count on them for anything she’d ever need. They depended on one another, though, and that’s what made them so perfect for one another. They were like their own little army.
Olivia glanced back down to the image she’d drawn. Not that she was some grand artist, but she’d always loved doodling. Most often it was nothing of any importance, just a way to pass the time or relieve stress. Her planner had random ink sketches all around the borders.
Pushing her chair out, Olivia came to her feet. She couldn’t sit here all day and evaluate life or try to dissect all the chaos inside her mind. There wasn’t enough time for the mess that was her emotional state.
There were boxes to pack and memories to face. She’d finally made a dent in the spare room early this morning before her phone calls and e-mails. So far she had several bags of old school papers she was going to trash, but the pictures were sitting in a box until she could figure out the best approach for those.
Her mother had moved on, remarrying and settling down in Charlotte. Olivia rarely saw her, but they’d text and chat on the phone. They were close, not like they were when they’d first left Haven. Part of Olivia wondered what had happened, but deep down she knew. Her mother had literally moved on. When she’d wanted to leave Olivia’s dad, she had. Then when she wanted to leave Olivia, she had.
Weighing her mother’s actions wouldn’t change anything and Olivia was an adult. She didn’t need anyone, but she sure would like to know how to move forward. Was it even possible to get the promotion, increase her workload, and simultaneously work on revamping a dilapidated airport?
She must have been out of her mind for even considering it. But the possibilities were mounting so fast in her head, and she was the budgeting manager over marketing, so she saw this type of work all day, every day.
Before she could talk herself out of all the reasons not to, she jotted down a list. What started out as pros and cons quickly turned into pros and quickly escalated to grand ideas.
Seeing things on paper always made them seem more real. After glancing over all her notes, Olivia knew in her heart she wanted to pursue this plan. Jackson may not be too keen on it, but moving ahead to something bigger and better was at least going to keep him in the business he wanted. This was obviously the happy middle ground Jade had suggested.
Now Olivia just had to figure out a way to make sure Jackson knew this plan was brilliant and would benefit them both. That wasn’t even the most challenging part. She had to face him and hope he kept his roaming hands and talented lips to himself, because she was fighting a losing battle and each time he touched her, she craved even more.